High acute:chronic workloads are associated with injury in England & Wales Cricket Board Development Programme fast bowlers

Abstract

The present study provides further evidence of the association between 'spikes' in workload and injury risk, but also demonstrates that this relationship is individual-specific and dependent on the level of chronic workload. Support teams for fast bowlers should monitor bowling workloads to avoid rapid fluctuations but should also base decisions on individualised data.

Association of Daily Workload, Wellness, and Injury and Illness During Tours in International Cricketers

“…The non-significant relationship between the ACWR and risk of injury or illness is in contrast to previous work in senior cricket fast bowlers 10 and elite adolescent cricketers 31 . Our F o r P e e r R e v i e w findings uniquely show that high chronic loads combined with a high or low ACWR increases the probability of injury compared to moderate chronic loads.…”

Debunking the myths about training load, injury and performance: empirical evidence, hot topics and recommendations for practitioners

“…Across a wide range of sports (eg, cricket, rugby league, rugby union, Australian football, European football, Gaelic football, hurling, American football, basketball, handball and multisport athletes), rapid increases (ie, ‘spikes’) in workload have been associated with increased injury risk (table 1). 43–69 When the ACWR was within the range of 0.8–1.3 (ie, the acute training load was approximately equal to the chronic training load), the risk of injury was relatively low. However, when the ACWR was ≥1.5 (ie, the acute training load was much greater than chronic training load), the risk of injury increased markedly (figure 3A).…”

“…Large week to week changes in load defined as statistically significant differences in weekly load compared with 1-year59 or 2-year seasonal69 average, a 2 SD increase in weekly load,58 or >15% change in weekly load 50. High acute:chronic workload ratios (ACWR) defined as an ACWR>1.00,35 >1.09,60 >1.18,67 >1.20,63 >1.23,61 >1.30,57 66 68 84 >1.38,64 >1.40,56 >1.50,43 65 >1.60,51 >1.70,65 >2.00,43–45 89>2.11,62 and >75th percentile rank 47 55CWL, chronic workload.…”

Advice to athletes with back pain—get active! Seriously?

“…For example, while a sudden increase in bowling load is associated with increased risk of pain or injury in cricketers, a high chronic bowling load is actually associated with lower risk 7. Therefore, even when a specific activity is linked to the onset of LBP, we need to be mindful not to induce a long-term reluctance among athletes to expose their body appropriately to high loads due to a sense of vulnerability.…”